Scaling Finance Infrastructure: From Fractional to Full-Time and Back

The situation

Billwerk — now known as Frisbee — is a SaaS company based in Frankfurt. When the company approached Peak Consulting in late 2019, it was growing quickly but lacked the financial infrastructure to support that growth. No cross-functional budgeting. No KPI framework. No reporting structure that could satisfy investors or give leadership a reliable view of the business.

Phase one: structure

Leigh joined at 50% capacity. Within four months: a full budgeting system across Sales, R&D, Marketing, Admin, and Support; a KPI tracking framework; and a monthly reporting structure the board could rely on. The engagement delivered full CFO accountability at half the time and cost of a permanent hire.

Phase two: flexibility

When Covid uncertainty arrived in early 2020, the decision was made to reduce costs. The engagement stepped down to approximately a third of previous capacity for three to four months — maintaining critical finance functions while easing the cost pressure. When growth accelerated instead of stalling, the time was reinstated. A fractional model makes this kind of adjustment straightforward. A permanent hire does not.

Phase three: transaction

Billwerk's strong performance during the pandemic led the shareholders to pursue a major strategic investment. Leigh stepped up to full-time for twelve months to lead the investor process alongside the CEO and an external M&A advisory firm. The outcome: a successful majority acquisition by a private equity investor, enabling the next stage of growth.

When the company subsequently needed a permanent in-house CFO, Leigh handed over and stepped aside. That is the natural endpoint of this engagement model. The value had been delivered. The business had moved to a stage where a full-time hire was justified. Time to get off the bus.